Movie Review - Lions For Lambs

Saw this one in the theater opening night. Below is my review at that time.

Three separate stories start out. First story you have a senator offering a top reporter an exclusive of the plan he is putting into place to end the war in Iraq. Second story you have armed forces in Afghanistan who are waiting to attack the Iraqis. Third story you have a college professor lecturing a student on how he is not living up to his potential. As the movie progresses, you find out that all three of these stories are connected.

This was a very dialoguey movie but just because 85% of the time you're just listening to them talk, that doesn't mean that there aren't any violent action scenes....there are enough to make you cringe. Honestly speaking, I missed a little bit....I SWEAR they should rent out blankets or something at the theater! It was so damned cold I think I was out for about 5-10 minutes. Anyway, the conversations between all of the characters were so good that I lost track of what was really going on with the story because I was too busy enjoying hearing them talk. (Kinda like my experience with Michael Clayton.) And I also got a little lost in the story because I was too busy looking at Tom Cruise. I'm not normally a huge Tom fan, but he looked REALLY good in this movie and something about him ... I was just sitting there listening to him and watching him and was enjoying what he was saying but at the end of the day, I wasn't really sure what it was that he had said. I did notice that he used quite a few 4 and 5 syllable words in his sentences which was a bit distracting as I found myself counting how many he was saying in a single sentence. :] The storyline was jumbled and kinda confusing and even if I hadn't fallen asleep for a few minutes, I still think it would have been a confusing movie for me since I'm not that into politics which is what it revolved around.

It was very INYOURFACE about the political statements being made. How we have "traded lions for lambs" as far as how we go to war. Reminded me a LOT of the time I went to a "find out who you are" free personality test that ended up being a Scientology seminar where you feel like you're being brainwashed....like if you don't agree with everything they're telling you, there's something wrong with you. And what they're telling you is that there are too many people in America that are too busy trying to live the good life that they don't know what's going on around them in the real world....and that don't care as long as they're driving their Mercedes and living in their mansions. But as the professor said, what good is a Mercedes if you don't have enough gas to fill the tank or the streets and highways are not driveable?

The debate scenes were my favorite. Two of the students have an idea that instead of your junior year in high school, you should either join the peace corps for a year, join the armed forces for a year or live in a third world country for a year and THEN go back to school...but you HAVE to choose one so that you are more aware of what is really going on in the world and will essentially be a less selfish and less self-absorbed person.

I, personally, HATED the ending, though. Just left you hanging....but not where there would be a sequel or anything.

My opinion, this one requires repeated viewings to understand what's going on. But it was still enjoyable.

Vixy :]